A door-to-door salesman left an 84-year-old woman in tears after forcing her to buy equipment she didn’t want.

David Fricker visited the woman’s home in Clayton-le-Moors twice in 2013 to install a camera and intercom system and ‘wouldn’t take no for an answer’, a court heard.

On one of the occasions that work was being carried out at the house, a workman mistakenly ‘cut through’ an oxygen tube which the victim used to help her breathe, the court heard.

Fricker, 46, pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in an aggressive commercial practice and was jailed for six months.

David Traynor, prosecuting, told the court how the victim answered her door to three men in early 2013, including Fricker, selling security equipment, but told them she ‘couldn’t afford the work’ and ‘didn’t want it done’.

The court heard Fricker talked to her in her kitchen for ‘a number of hours’ before showing her a camera linked to her television.

Fricker told her it would cost £300 but would charge her £150, however later reduced his price to £130.

Burnley Crown Court heard how the victim was ‘getting scared’ as Fricker was ‘getting agitated with her’ and eventually ‘gave in’ and handed over the money.

Mr Traynor said ‘tears were literally dripping down her face’ but Fricker was ‘not bothered’ and threatened to return in two weeks for the rest of the money.

Fricker later returned in July 2013 and ‘straight away got his foot in the door’ and pushed her back by her shoulders so he could get inside, Mr Traynor said.

He told her: “We’ve got a lovely treat for you, how about some of those lovely sandwiches of yours.”

Two hours later she was shown an installed intercom system but again said she didn’t want it and couldn’t afford it, however she ended up paying another £130.

Mr Traynor said she was ‘so determined’ she didn’t want the intercom that she ‘unscrewed it from the wall herself’ and posted it back to the address of a leaflet.

Fricker, who has 20 previous convictions for 35 offences, was arrested in November 2013 in the Blackpool area and accepted doing work at her house, but denied ‘exerting any pressure upon her to make her pay money’.

A victim impact statement heard how the woman was left ‘distressed’ and ‘blames herself’, describing herself as ‘stupid for allowing this to happen’.